At the Height of Laughter
by patsan
Summary: Matthew cannot say "no" and Mary is not happy. Or is she?


_Hello dear readers and welcome to my first (published) Downton Abbey modernAU story! It's just a little thing, really, but I had so much fun writing it, so there's hope you'll have fun reading it too :)  
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_From a VERY old prompt by the lovely **queenlovett **:)  
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_Enjoy!_

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**At the height of laughter**

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"I just don't understand why you had to agree with this, that's all."

"I could hardly say no when she was dropping hint after hint, and then she asked me right away. There was just no way I could say no."

He pauses, taking a deep breath.

He looks at her, but she turns her face away, and Matthew sighs.

"Look, I don't know what's the matter with you and Edith lately, but whatever it is, it's getting ridiculous, you should settle things between you two."

Mary's laugh is far from amused.

"As if that's ever going to happen."

Matthew frowns.

It's not like Mary and her middle sister are the best of friends, but things have been at least civil as long as he can remember, and they even seemed to be getting along rather smoothly until a few weeks ago.

He doesn't know what's happened to change that, but it is pretty clear that something is up with his girlfriend lately, and he thinks now that maybe that has something to do with Edith.

Still, it doesn't explain why Mary seems so restless at nights or why she's already up in the mornings when he wakes up, a fact that amazes him since he's always the first to get up and he usually manages to take a quick shower and to have breakfast ready for the two of them before Mary even considers getting out of bed.

But he doesn't want to pressure her, not when he knows she's under so much stress from work, and so he takes a deep breath and moves to her.

She is leaning against the kitchen counter, and he rests his hands on her hips.

She still doesn't look at him, and he sighs again.

He leans in closer, kissing her cheek and caressing her sides.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I promised and so I'll go. Relax while I'm away, take a bath or watch a movie, I'll be back in time for bed and then I'll help you relax a little bit more."

He says this in a quiet, light tone, adding a cheeky grin at the end.

She looks sideways at him and he notices her lips twitching at the corners.

She turns to him and rolls her eyes.

"Fine," she says pressing her hands on his chest and pushing him away. "I'm going to change, you wait here."

"But-"

"No but, Matthew, if I leave you alone with Ella and Cora you'll come back with pigtails and painted nails."

Matthew huffs, mockingly offended as he retrieves the car keys and fetches his coat.

"Are you saying I am not good with kids?" he asks toward their bedroom door.

He cannot know how his words stir something inside Mary as she zips her jacket closed and looks at herself in the mirror.

She breathes deeply for a moment, her palm smoothing over her stomach, and she walks out of the room.

"No, babe," she says with a smile, "I'm only saying you just can't resist them."

Matthew chuckles but doesn't deny it, and it's only when they are both in the car that he says, "I thought they suited me, though."

"What did?"

"The pigtails, of course!"

And Mary laughs, a beautiful laugh that has Matthew look at her both delighted and transfixed.

Mary touches his cheek, and smiles at him.

"Let's go, uncle Matthew, or we'll be late."

They knock at Edith's home not long after that, and it's Anthony the one who welcomes them.

"Oh, thank God you're here, we're about to be late," Edith's voice reaches them as she enters the room while fiddling with the clip of her necklace.

"Here," Anthony says, moving behind his wife and helping her with it.

"I thought the show started at 10?" Mary asks.

"It does, but we are meeting Anthony's colleagues first, and we must go now."

"The girls have eaten and are playing in their room," Anthony informs them.

"They might want some milk later, which is in the counter, and you'll find the book we're reading on Cora's nightstand," Edith says. "No TV and no snacks before bed."

"We've done it countless of times, Edith, we've got it covered. Go and enjoy your night," Matthew says with a smile.

"Alright," Edith sighs, while Anthony smiles gratefully at them and then ushers Edith towards the door.

Mary follows them and just when they are about to exit, Edith turns and whispers "Tell him tonight."

The apartment door closes behind them with a click.

Mary swallows and turns around slowly, but Matthew is already gone, and she breathes in relief.

When she walks into the girls' room, Matthew is sitting on the carpeted floor between Cora and Ella, and the twins are already working on his hair.

Mary smiles at the sight and takes pity of him.

"Who wants to play Hide&Seek with a twist?" she asks playfully, and she's met with a choir of "Me! Me!" while little arms reach for her and Ella informs her sister that Mary is in her team.

A couple of hours, a bottle of milk, many laughs and some protests later, the twins are carefully tucked in bed and fast asleep, and Mary is curled up against Matthew's side on the large sofa, watching some late night TV show.

Matthew chuckles at some joke the host says and Mary sips from a fresh made cup of tea as she rethinks about her quarrel with Edith a few weeks ago, the day after she found out that-

"I'm pregnant," she says quietly, and times slows down as she sees Matthew blink and turn to her.

"What?" is his eloquent question.

"I'm pregnant," she repeats, finally resting her empty cup on the floor.

Matthew's mouth hangs open for a moment, before he shuts it suddenly and turns off the TV.

He swallows and stares at her and then, slowly, his lips curve into the most beautiful, happy smile she has ever seen.

"You aren't kidding, right?"

She rolls her eyes.

"You're an idiot."

His smile becomes impossibly wide.

"I'm your idiot and you love it," he has the guts to say, and Mary is about to give him a witty comeback but his lips are suddenly on hers, and his hands are insistent upon her waist and back, so somehow she finds herself straddling him as their kiss deepens, and they sigh in each other's mouth.

"God, I love you," he says against her lips, then again against her cheek, and when he nibbles at the skin of her neck there's only so much Mary can do not to moan loudly.

"Matthew, stop," she says, and she leans away as he laughs quietly, mindful of the sleeping children in the other room.

"When did you find out?" he asks caressing her cheek and bringing her to him till their foreheads touch.

"Three weeks ago," Mary answers.

"Edith knows."

It's not a question.

"She does, she told me to tell you right away, but I needed some time to figure out what I wanted."

Matthew stays silent for a moment, eyes searching hers.

"And have you?"

"Yes," she whispers seriously. "It's not a good time at Gratham&Eagles and that is worrying, but I do want this."

Her palm finds its way over his chest, over his heart, and she smiles down at him.

He smiles back, looking up at her adoringly, and his hands come up to frame her face.

"My Mary," he whispers, and then he leans up and kisses her again, and again and again, till Mary is tingling with need and love and hope and they break the kiss and finally separate.

She slides off his lap and onto the sofa and Matthew keeps her close, resting his head against her hair with a content sigh.

"We'll be good at this, won't we?" she asks, looking at him with a frown.

"We will," he says, his tone sure, kissing her nose and making her smile.

She cuddles against him and rests her head in the crook of his neck.

When Edith and Anthony come back home a little while later, Mary and Matthew are peacefully sleeping, their hands entwined over her stomach.

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**The End**

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_Soooooo... thoughts?  
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_Till next time! ;)_


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